What Are The Requiremnts To Be Christain

[steve_bank]

Muslims have the 5 Pillars Of Islam. Buddhists have the 8 Fold Path.

As Jesus was a Jew preaching Jewish scripture, he did not create 'Christianity'.

The general requirements I see are

1, Baptism
2. A belief the Abrahamic god is the one and only god.
3. Jesus was the son of god.
4. Jesus was executed and rose from the dead.
5. Accepting Jesus as your savior.

There are only one or two theists left on the forum. For Christians what are the requirements for being a Christian?

 

[Politesse]

Are you trying to rewite "The Fundamentals"? You've got a long way to go.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

Commands of Jesus. Practice the ten commandments and sell all you have and give it all away.

Matthew 19
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.


See also Mark 10 and Luke 18.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Right, right, but Jesus clearly didn't mean private jets and limos, if you're a televangelist. That there is capital investment in the Lord.

 

[Tharmas]

I think the only requirement to be a Christian is to claim you're a Christian.

1, Baptism
2. A belief the Abrahamic god is the one and only god.
3. Jesus was the son of god.
4. Jesus was executed and rose from the dead.
5. Accepting Jesus as your savior.

There are many Christian churches that do not require some or even all of the items on that list.

 

[TomC]

I think the only requirement to be a Christian is to claim you're a Christian.

That's exactly how I see it.

Trump is a Christian. A greedy, lying, philandering New Yorker and major Christian leader.

It's wacky, but it isn't really new. Google Borgian popes.
Tom

 

[No Robots]

For it hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us, to lay no further burden upon you than these necessary things:
That you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which things keeping yourselves, you shall do well. Fare ye well.--Acts 15:28-29


For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.--Mt 11:30

 

[steve_bank]

I agree anyone who clams to be a Christian is a Christian. But then Chrtianity as we have iti s not really tied to the original Jewish offshoot, it is tied to the questionable gospels.

In organized Christianity baptism is a ritual for entrance into the club.

The creeds were created by the geo-religious powers of the day to cement power. Unlike Islam and Buddhism the creeds(articles of faith) are not traceable back to the founders of the traditions.

Jesus did not create Christianity.

Apostles' Creed - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Apostles' Creed (Latin: Symbolum Apostolorum or Symbolum Apostolicum), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith".

The creed most likely originated in 5th-century Gaul as a development of the Old Roman Symbol: the old Latin creed of the 4th century. It has been used in the Latin liturgical rites since the 8th century and, by extension, in the various modern branches of Western Christianity, including the modern liturgy and catechesis of the Catholic Church, Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Presbyterianism, Moravianism, Methodism, and Congregational churches.

It is shorter than the full Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed adopted in 381, but it is still explicitly trinitarian in structure, with sections affirming belief in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.[1] It does not address some Christological issues defined in the Nicene Creed. It thus says nothing explicitly about the divinity of either Jesus or the Holy Spirit. For this reason, it was held to predate the Nicene Creed in medieval Latin tradition.

The expression "Apostles' Creed" is first mentioned in a letter from the Synod of Milan dated AD 390, referring to a belief at the time that each of the Twelve Apostles contributed an article to the twelve articles of the creed.[2][3]

I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.

Amen.

Nicene Creed - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Nicene Creed (/ˈnaɪsiːn/; Koinē Greek: Σύμβολον τῆς Νικαίας, romanized: Sýmvolon tis Nikéas) is the defining statement of belief of Nicene or mainstream Christianity[1][2] and in those Christian denominations that adhere to it. The original Nicene Creed was first adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325. In 381, it was amended at the First Council of Constantinople. The amended form is also referred to as the Nicene Creed, or the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed for disambiguation.

The Nicene Creed is part of the profession of faith required of those undertaking important functions within the Orthodox and Catholic[3][4] Churches. Nicene Christianity regards Jesus as divine and "begotten of the Father". Various non-Nicene doctrines, beliefs, and creeds have been formed since the fourth century, all of which are considered heresies[5] by adherents of Nicene Christianity.

In Western Christianity, the Nicene Creed is in use alongside the less widespread Apostles' Creed.[6][7][8] In musical settings, particularly when sung in Latin, this creed is usually referred to by its first word, Credo. On Sundays and solemnities, one of these two creeds is recited in the Roman Rite Mass after the homily. In the Byzantine Rite, the Nicene Creed is sung or recited at the Divine Liturgy, immediately preceding the Anaphora (eucharistic prayer), and is also recited daily at compline.[9][10]

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father; God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God; begotten not made, one in being with the Father.

 

[Politesse]

I agree anyone who clams to be a Christian is a Christian. But then Chrtianity as we have iti s not really tied to the original Jewish offshoot, it is tied to the questionable gospels.

In organized Christianity baptism is a ritual for entrance into the club.

The creeds were created by the geo-religious powers of the day to cement power. Unlike Islam and Buddhism the creeds(articles of faith) are not traceable back to the founders of the traditions.

Jesus did not create Christianity.

Apostles' Creed - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Apostles' Creed (Latin: Symbolum Apostolorum or Symbolum Apostolicum), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith".

The creed most likely originated in 5th-century Gaul as a development of the Old Roman Symbol: the old Latin creed of the 4th century. It has been used in the Latin liturgical rites since the 8th century and, by extension, in the various modern branches of Western Christianity, including the modern liturgy and catechesis of the Catholic Church, Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Presbyterianism, Moravianism, Methodism, and Congregational churches.

It is shorter than the full Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed adopted in 381, but it is still explicitly trinitarian in structure, with sections affirming belief in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.[1] It does not address some Christological issues defined in the Nicene Creed. It thus says nothing explicitly about the divinity of either Jesus or the Holy Spirit. For this reason, it was held to predate the Nicene Creed in medieval Latin tradition.

The expression "Apostles' Creed" is first mentioned in a letter from the Synod of Milan dated AD 390, referring to a belief at the time that each of the Twelve Apostles contributed an article to the twelve articles of the creed.[2][3]

I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.

Amen.

Nicene Creed - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Nicene Creed (/ˈnaɪsiːn/; Koinē Greek: Σύμβολον τῆς Νικαίας, romanized: Sýmvolon tis Nikéas) is the defining statement of belief of Nicene or mainstream Christianity[1][2] and in those Christian denominations that adhere to it. The original Nicene Creed was first adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325. In 381, it was amended at the First Council of Constantinople. The amended form is also referred to as the Nicene Creed, or the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed for disambiguation.

The Nicene Creed is part of the profession of faith required of those undertaking important functions within the Orthodox and Catholic[3][4] Churches. Nicene Christianity regards Jesus as divine and "begotten of the Father". Various non-Nicene doctrines, beliefs, and creeds have been formed since the fourth century, all of which are considered heresies[5] by adherents of Nicene Christianity.

In Western Christianity, the Nicene Creed is in use alongside the less widespread Apostles' Creed.[6][7][8] In musical settings, particularly when sung in Latin, this creed is usually referred to by its first word, Credo. On Sundays and solemnities, one of these two creeds is recited in the Roman Rite Mass after the homily. In the Byzantine Rite, the Nicene Creed is sung or recited at the Divine Liturgy, immediately preceding the Anaphora (eucharistic prayer), and is also recited daily at compline.[9][10]

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father; God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God; begotten not made, one in being with the Father.

So is it one of those creeds, or is it those five things you mentioned? Please respond quickly, as 2.6 billion people are urgently waiting for your opinion on whether they are Christian enough!

 

[steve_bank]

You teach mythology? Weak counter.

You are a self described Christian(former Pagan-Chrisrtian) and teacher of mythology, you tell me the criteria you go by that allws you to call yourself a Christian

The obviousness point is there is no traceable definition or requirements that trace back to an alleged Jesus. Christianity is a fabrication. Jesus was a Jew teaching Jewish law.

Don't worry Politesse, Jesus loves you as you are.

 

[Politesse]

Steve, I don't call myself Christian these days, and I've told you that more than once. Nor was I ever the sort of Christian that you seem to think every Christian is or must be. Biblical literalism is an unrealistic and pernicious approach to the faith and I have never believed or espoused differently.

I agree that Jesus was a Jew.

 

[James Brown]

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

--Romans 10:9

Seems simple to me.

 

[TomC]

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

--Romans 10:9

Seems simple to me.

That's Paul. Jesus said a bunch of stuff that is profoundly different.

This distinction is why I'm confident that modern Christian beliefs have little to do with Jesus. Jesus and Christ are two completely different characters.
Tom

 

[steve_bank]

Steve, I don't call myself Christian these days, and I've told you that more than once. Nor was I ever the sort of Christian that you seem to think every Christian is or must be. Biblical literalism is an unrealistic and pernicious approach to the faith and I have never believed or espoused differently.

I agree that Jesus was a Jew.

And Jesus was preaching Jewish scripture to Jews. He was not creating something different from Judaism.

So, Christianity is a fabrication. What it means to be a Christian is not defined at the source of the religion, as are Buddhism and Islam.

 

[Ford]

Reign of Constantine? "Yeah, sure...I'm totally a Christian. Why would you even question it? I mean...the Emperor is down with Christianity, so sign me up! I mean....I've already signed up. Hey, why are you dragging me away from my home? I said I'm a Christian!"

 

[Ruth Harris]

I hold to only the fundamentals – the Gospel message of salvation

All people have sinned and lost their eligibility to enter heaven when they die. God is perfect but loves us and wants us to live with him. Christ died on the cross to pay for those sins, and was resurrected to provide everlasting life for those who accept the free gift of salvation in Him through faith.

and the greatest commandments of love

Mark 12:30-31: “30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

To me that is the “base set of rules” which determines who is Christian and who is not. All else is window dressing and is up for discussion. Yes, you can be a Christian and yet not follow all the rules and regulations included in the scriptures. Maybe not what would be considered a "good" Christian by others, but still a Christian.

In organized Christianity baptism is a ritual for entrance into the club.

You will notice that baptism is not something I include. That is because I do not consider baptism a strict Christian requirement; it is something that is performed by many different religions. Christians cannot claim it as an exclusive rite, although many do. The Christian Church (not those affiliated with the Disciples of Christ) and the Church of Christ are two such denominations that believe you cannot be saved without being baptized by them. Yes, most churches require baptism to become an official member - but that really has no bearing on whether or not you are a Christian.

As far as the identification of "Christian" - that was first recorded in Acts 11:26. It may have been in use before then but there is no record of it. In many cases, it was used in a derogatory manner by those who were mocking people who followed Christ but gained acceptance as a standard identification.

Ruth

 

[robnisch]

I guess it depends on which redacted mistranslated version of the bible used where you were raised.

 

[steve_bank]

Baptism is a common ritual emulating the story of the baptism of Jesus. If you are born into Catholicism you are baptized as a baby.

Some groups have full body immersion baptism.

It is not a requirement, there are no biblical requirements. Jesus was a Jew steeped in Jewish scripture preaching Jewish scripture.

Someone may just say or believe Jesus is my personal savior, ad coniders himself 'saved'.

Before the Reformation in Europe the RCC told you what the requirements are.

Without a belief in the resurrection and an eternal afterlife there is no Christianity.

 

[Politesse]

Before the Reformation in Europe the RCC told you what the requirements are.

Today, steve_bank on the internet tells you what the requirements are.

(Screw Greece and Ukraine, eh?)

 

[steve_bank]

Tat was weird.

The RCC catechism. Evolved over 1000 years. What it meas to be a Catholic Christian.

Along comes Luther who says you do not need a pope or a priest. Anyone can read the bible and commune directly with god. The modern American Evangelical Christian. can be a sect of 1 or a sect of a 1000.

The RCC tried to keep the bible in Latinm the language of the church. Masses were hed in Latin until the 1960s. No interpretation by the masers. Being Chrtian was what the RCC told yiu through a priest.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

PART ONE:

THE PROFESSION OF FAITH

SECTION ONE

"I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE"

26 We begin our profession of faith by saying: "I believe" or "We believe". Before expounding the Church's faith, as confessed in the Creed, celebrated in the liturgy and lived in observance of God's commandments and in prayer, we must first ask what "to believe" means. Faith is man's response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time bringing man a superabundant light as he searches for the ultimate meaning of his life. Thus we shall consider first that search (Chapter One), then the divine Revelation by which God comes to meet man (Chapter Two), and finally the response of faith (Chapter Three).

II. Ways of Coming to Know God

31 Created in God's image and called to know and love him, the person who seeks God discovers certain ways of coming to know him. These are also called proofs for the existence of God, not in the sense of proofs in the natural sciences, but rather in the sense of "converging and convincing arguments", which allow us to attain certainty about the truth. These "ways" of approaching God from creation have a twofold point of departure: the physical world, and the human person.

32 The world: starting from movement, becoming, contingency, and the world's order and beauty, one can come to a knowledge of God as the origin and the end of the universe.

As St. Paul says of the Gentiles: For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made.7

And St. Augustine issues this challenge: Question the beauty of the earth, question the beauty of the sea, question the beauty of the air distending and diffusing itself, question the beauty of the sky. . . question all these realities. All respond: "See, we are beautiful." Their beauty is a profession [confessio]. These beauties are subject to change. Who made them if not the Beautiful One [Pulcher] who is not subject to change?8

33 The human person: with his openness to truth and beauty, his sense of moral goodness, his freedom and the voice of his conscience, with his longings for the infinite and for happiness, man questions himself about God's existence. In all this he discerns signs of his spiritual soul. the soul, the "seed of eternity we bear in ourselves, irreducible to the merely material",9 can have its origin only in God.

34 The world, and man, attest that they contain within themselves neither their first principle nor their final end, but rather that they participate in Being itself, which alone is without origin or end. Thus, in different ways, man can come to know that there exists a reality which is the first cause and final end of all things, a reality "that everyone calls God".10

35 Man's faculties make him capable of coming to a knowledge of the existence of a personal God. But for man to be able to enter into real intimacy with him, God willed both to reveal himself to man, and to give him the grace of being able to welcome this revelation in faith.(so) the proofs of God's existence, however, can predispose one to faith and help one to see that faith is not opposed to reason.

HAPTER TWO

I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, THE ONLY SON OF GOD

The Good News: God has sent his Son

422 'But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.'1 This is 'the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God':2 God has visited his people. He has fulfilled the promise he made to Abraham and his descendants. He acted far beyond all expectation - he has sent his own 'beloved Son'.3

423 We believe and confess that Jesus of Nazareth, born a Jew of a daughter of Israel at Bethlehem at the time of King Herod the Great and the emperor Caesar Augustus, a carpenter by trade, who died crucified in Jerusalem under the procurator Pontius Pilate during the reign of the emperor Tiberius, is the eternal Son of God made man. He 'came from God',4 'descended from heaven',5 and 'came in the flesh'.6 For 'the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. . . and from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace.'7

424 Moved by the grace of the Holy Spirit and drawn by the Father, we believe in Jesus and confess: 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'8 On the rock of this faith confessed by St. Peter, Christ built his Church.9
"To preach. . . the unsearchable riches of Christ"10

425 The transmission of the Christian faith consists primarily in proclaiming Jesus Christ in order to lead others to faith in him. From the beginning, the first disciples burned with the desire to proclaim Christ: "We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard."11 It and they invite people of every era to enter into the joy of their communion with Christ:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life - the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us - that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. and we are writing this that our joy may be complete.12

At the heart of catechesis: Christ

426 "At the heart of catechesis we find, in essence, a Person, the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, the only Son from the Father. . .who suffered and died for us and who now, after rising, is living with us forever."13 To catechize is "to reveal in the Person of Christ the whole of God's eternal design reaching fulfilment in that Person. It is to seek to understand the meaning of Christ's actions and words and of the signs worked by him."14 Catechesis aims at putting "people . . . in communion . . . with Jesus Christ: only he can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity."15

427 In catechesis "Christ, the Incarnate Word and Son of God,. . . is taught - everything else is taught with reference to him - and it is Christ alone who teaches - anyone else teaches to the extent that he is Christ's spokesman, enabling Christ to teach with his lips. . . Every catechist should be able to apply to himself the mysterious words of Jesus: 'My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.'"16

428 Whoever is called "to teach Christ" must first seek "the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus"; he must suffer "the loss of all things. . ." in order to "gain Christ and be found in him", and "to know him and the power of his resurrection, and (to) share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible (he) may attain the resurrection from the dead".17

429 From this loving knowledge of Christ springs the desire to proclaim him, to "evangelize", and to lead others to the "yes" of faith in Jesus Christ. But at the same time the need to know this faith better makes itself felt. To this end, following the order of the Creed, Jesus' principal titles - "Christ", "Son of God", and "Lord" (article 2) - will be presented. the Creed next confesses the chief mysteries of his life - those of his Incarnation (article 3), Paschal mystery (articles 4 and 5) and glorification (articles 6 and 7).

Apostles' Creed

I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.

Amen.